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A MOTORCYCLIST WHO was taking part in a charity bike rally in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland has been killed in a road collision.
Aidan Lynam worked for the charity and had come up with the idea for the Rev-up4DSI rally ten years ago because of his own passion for motorcycles.
The crash happened this morning at 11.45am this morning outside Kilkee on the Kilrush Road (N67) in Clare. The father-of-three, who was in his 40s, was fatally injured when his motorcycle collided with a car.
He was airlifted to University Hospital Limerick where he was later pronounced dead. The driver of the car was not injured in the incident.
In his last tweet, Aidan spoke of the beautiful views in Clare that he and his fellow bikers were being treated to on the second day of the rally:
Aidan Lynam / TwitterA lap of the beautiful @clarevirtually today on @Revup4DSI . If you see us, give us a wave. Hope no one gets seasick @ShannonFerries
— Aidan Lynam (@Aidan34) May 3, 2015
In a statement this evening, Down Syndrome Ireland said they learned of his death and were struck with “inexpressible grief”.
“Rev-up4DSI was the brainchild of Aidan’s, and poignantly this year marked the 10th anniversary of this event, which through Aidan and his fellow motorcyclists has raised over €1.6 million for Down Syndrome Ireland.”
He is survived by his wife Nikki and their three children Robyn, Jake and Harry.
“Aidan was a much loved and valued senior member of our team at Down Syndrome Ireland, committed to his family and his work and all of our hearts are simply broken as we struggle to come to terms with this great loss,” the charity said.
People who knew the biker also took to Twitter to express their grief and speak highly of Aidan:
Cormac / TwitterNot a phone call I wanted to get today..! Godspeed @Aidan34. Motorcycling has lost a good guy.
— Cormac Ryan-Meenan (@CormacGP) May 3, 2015
Marc Potter / TwitterMotorcycling lost another good man today. Keep 'er lit upstairs @Aidan34. Sending love to his beautiful family.
— Marc Potter (@marcpotter) May 3, 2015
Steve English / TwitterVery sad to hear the news about @Aidan34. Really nice guy and always working hard for DSI
— sTTevie (@SteveEnglishGP) May 3, 2015
Tom O'Hanlon / TwitterSuch sad, terrible news of @Aidan34 today, thinking of his family and friends at this time. RIP Aidan. A true gent.
— Tom O'Hanlon 📸 (@tomohanlonmedia) May 3, 2015
Gardaí are currently conducting a forensic collision investigation at the site of the crash and diversions are in place.
Any witnesses to the incident are asked to contact Kilrush Garda Station on 065- 9080550, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
My band Cruachan made it to the last ten this year, so close to making the final six for the televised final. A totally different song than normal – celtic folk mixed with metal, thin lizzy meets horslips. Anyway, we’ll release our submission ‘The Blacksmith’ as a standalone single on the same day as Irelands semi final so plz check that out and see what you think
@Keith Fay: if ye make it it’ll be the first good act since Lordi.
@Kieran Fitzgerald: Cheers Kieran, we’ll most likely try again for next year. Ireland needs to stop sending pop!
@Keith Fay: it’d be fine if it was good pop but the best we can do some some lad who can do the Louis Walsh dance move. A.K.A Standing up off a stool on a key change.
And who selects the songs presented on the late late show? Or is it who you know?……
@Rebecca Owens: this is what I was told – “We had a judging panel of over 30 Radio, TV and Entertainment professionals as well as Eurovision fans shortlisting the songs”
@Keith Fay: lol.. Rubbish.. Johnny Rotten!! (English Man). All candidates are politically / agenda picked.
I watch the Eurovision but often it feels like the judges don’t. It feels like they are still locked in the past with no idea of what actually succeeds in the Eurovision nowadays. I mean the audience of Eurovision are hardly diehard fans of the Late Late show way of selecting singers. Johnny Rotten will probably go in purely for the novelty factor.
Yes but I can’t watch Turbity or Marty Whelan, so that rules out Eurosong tonight or Eurovision on RTE.
I watch all kinds of everything
nul points – nein danke
50% polled have no interest, yet the viewing figures every year are huge.
Funny that.
@Eamonn Duggan: Viewing figures are rigged.
@Roger Bond: or more simply, the Journal commenters are not representative of the general population.
@Eamonn Duggan: A quick Google search tells me that, at 314,000 viewers, it wasn’t even in the top 50….
Listened to the songs, i cannot see any going through never mind winning. The competition should be more open to the public. Like it was when it started. A knock out competition
I do watch it, it’s actually quite good.
The bloc vote argument and the naff song argument come from people who haven’t watched the contest in years.
The quality has improved songwise, the winners are not all eastern bloc, recent winners: Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Sweden (twice), Austria, Denmark.
I do think RTÉ needs to make more of an effort when you see what the rest of Europe brings each year. We won’t be holding that record for much longer and when that happens, which it will, we won’t be able to tug at the Johnny Logan nostalgia strings any longer. Change if approach is needed now.
Look at United Kingdom, coming second last year, would have won only for Ukraine, however end up hosting in Liverpool this year, so they may as well have won the thing last year.
Every mention of John Lydon and P. I. L. has been removed!!! Why??
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Cause the system don’t like it.
@Keth Warsaw: It’s a great rock ‘n roll swindle if you ask me.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: And tonight….never mind the bolox.
@Keth Warsaw: bollix
Yes, taking a shot everytime Marty makes a patronising remark about one of the other countries.
The Eurovision became a complete joke show when those Eastern European countries came onboard.
@Roger Bond: So you’d kick out all the countries east of Berlin?
junket for some who look forward to the trip yearly and the taxpayers being fleeced to pay for such trips , RTE. And their Mafia and political connections wast of taxoayers money as some sections of society go hungry and have to live in the cold homes if they have one to live in .
Has become too big. Bring back four singers and frocks, and a real connection. Don’t need to watch pornstars throwing out noise.
…Never gonna happen.
Not since My Lovely Horse.
Let JR represent Ireland. We have been too anodyne fit too long.
Eurovision peaked in 2006.
@Kieran Fitzgerald: 1970 s
I did and it was cringeworthy
Amateur hour
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